


The Learning Curve

by chiefharbour



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: College, Crushes, Eventual Smut, F/M, Forbidden Love, Fraternities & Sororities, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Stranger Things AU, Teacher-Student Relationship, professor!Hopper
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:29:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23077075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiefharbour/pseuds/chiefharbour
Summary: (Stranger Things AU) Holly DelMonica applies to university with the hopes of reclaiming a college experience she denied herself of after high school. She never expected for things to get so complicated.professor!Hopper x OFC
Relationships: Jim "Chief" Hopper & Original Female Character(s), Jim "Chief" Hopper & Reader, Jim "Chief" Hopper & You, Jim "Chief" Hopper/Original Character(s), Jim "Chief" Hopper/Original Female Character(s), Jim "Chief" Hopper/Reader, Jim "Chief" Hopper/You
Comments: 17
Kudos: 32





	1. Trouble

**Author's Note:**

> OMG! Here it is, the professor!Hopper fic I’ve been teasing everyone with for the past few months. I decided to go with a complete Stranger Things AU. This fic does take place in modern-day, so keep that in mind. There are some overlap with characters and storylines, but the events of the Upside Down haven’t happened. ~Robin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holly starts acquainting herself with her new campus and discovers that her new advisor will prove to be a distraction.

Rain pelted down against the cracked and worn sidewalk, thunder rippling in the distance as wind picked up speed. A mother and daughter grabbed the last of brown cardboard boxes from a silver minivan before running into the nearest residence hall, known to the students of Indiana University as Elkhart Hall. The fall semester was about to commence; thus, hundreds of students continued to file into various buildings with their belongings. Those who were freshmen were partnered with their emotional parents who were to be separated for the first time.

Holly DelMonica pushed through her dormitory room’s wooden door, her dark brown hair pulled tightly in a high ponytail as she blotted rain water away from her forehead. Her white sundress was sprinkled with drizzled patterns, the material clinging tightly over her torso as her father’s silver medallion dangled from her neck.

She heaved as she placed the last of her belongings down onto the linoleum tiled floor, “Well, I think that’s everything.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to grab a quick lunch or coffee or-” her mother continued to yap before her daughter chuckled, resting an assuring hand on her shoulder.

“I love you, mom, but I should probably get started unpacking,” she sighed, looking at her mom with sad and glassy eyes.

They both stood in silence before she wrapped her arms around her mother’s shoulders, inhaling her perfume one last time before her eyes began to water. Holly knew that the next time she would see her would be over Christmas break, but it would be the longest she had ever been away from her. After graduating high school four years ago, her father was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer, resulting in a glue-like bond between the mother and daughter throughout the patriarch’s painfully dragged-out illness. After he finally passed, her mother convinced her to apply to an out-of-state university, insisting that she needed to fly the nest in order to move forward with her life. _No looking back_ , she said.

Sure, being a twenty-two year old freshman was less than ordinary, but Holly believed that it was better to start later than to never begin at all. Though she had no idea of the career she wanted to pursue, she was determined to make her late father proud. At the end of the day, that was really all that mattered to her.

Her mother parted from her embrace with a soft smile, cupping her face with withered hands. Her eyes were watery as she searched over Holly’s face, “You know where to find me. I love you, okay?”

“ _Okay okay,_ ” she tilted her head playfully, repeating the familial phrase shared between the two of them.

She pressed a kiss to her daughter’s cheek, patting her shoulder before quickly turning around and walking out of the room. Ms. DelMonica had always been a fan of ripping things away like a bandaid and this would be no different. _Quick and painless_ , she would say, but nothing in their lives was ever as simple as that.

Holly watched her mother waltz down the fluorescent-lit hallway, her shoulders shaking slightly as she began to cry. It broke her heart to see her mother so torn up about something, putting her pride before her desire to be comforted. The line between mother and confidant had been blurred in their relationship to an unmeasurable degree, but, that’s what sudden death can do for a mother and her daughter. 

As she exited the dormitory hallway, two other students with drenched umbrellas passed by giving her wide eyes and painful expressions, sympathizing with her as she ventured back out into the rain. The girl, who was sportily thin with shoulder-length dirty blonde hair, wore a pale blue buttoned blouse and a pair of white shorts patterned with bright yellow sunflowers. Her counterpart, a boy around the same age, wore a loose-fitting black polo and khaki shorts, his brown hair flowing over the top of his head like a waterfall. They approached Holly, who stood glued to the floor in the middle of the doorway.

“You live here?” the girl asked, quirking an eyebrow as they stopped in front of her.

“Y-Yes,” Holly replied nervously with a smile, her blushed pink lips upturning to reveal a set of straightened teeth, a byproduct of four years of orthodontics and a nightly regime involving a retainer. 

“I do, too,” she smiled, reaching out a hand for her to shake. “Robin.”

“Holly,” the new roommate responded, stepping out of the doorway so the duo could enter.

Upon shutting the door, Robin motioned towards the slender boy behind her, “And dingus here is Steve.”

“Nice to meet you,” Holly responded, shaking his hand. She looked between the both of them with inquisitive eyes, trying to determine what the dynamics of their relationship was.

“Are you guys...dating, or…?” she dragged on, looking in between them before widening her eyes in shock. “Oh my gosh, that was so rude of me. I am _so_ sorry.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Robin chuckled, wincing immediately after as she looked towards her counterpart. “He’s not exactly my type.”

“Not her type physically, but, you bet that if she liked dick as much as she loved French cinema, I would definitely be on her radar,” interrupted Steve as the both of them plopped down onto Robin’s already-made mattress.

“Oh,” Holly smirked, suddenly realizing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s okay,” she stopped her, raising her hands in defense. “It happens more often than you think, but, he’s really more like an annoying younger brother.”

“I’m one month younger than you,” he scrunched his eyebrows, tone slightly impatient.

“Still,” Robin huffed as Holly stood awkwardly in front of her closet. “Don’t be so stiff. We don’t bite.”

The girl chuckled lightly, her chocolate brown eyes scrunching as she looked nervously at the floor, “I’m sorry.”

“And stop apologizing,” Steve said plainly with a grin. “Pretty girl like you should never apologize for anything.”

“ _Jesus_ , Steve,” Robin rolled her eyes as Holly sat down on the floor below them, crossing her legs. “Can you at least wait one day to hit on my roommate?”

Holly blushed, shaking her head in an effort to change the subject, “How do you guys know each other?”

“Well, we’re both from Hawkins. Went to school together for, what? Six years?” Steve asked, looking at Robin for confirmation before she continued for him.

“We’re both sophomores. I’m studying cinematography and Casanova here is studying business,” she responded with a tight-lipped grin.

Holly nodded her head, awkward introductions never being a particular strong suit of hers, “I’m from Austin. A freshman, but I’m twenty-two.”

“An older lady,” Steve waggled his eyebrows. “I can get behind that.”

She giggled nervously, reaching a hand up to rub behind her neck, “I’m flattered, but…”

“She’s not into you, asshole,” Robin nearly shouted with a smile, smacking her friend playfully on the shoulder.

“Hey, it’s not the first time I’ve been rejected, and it won’t be the last,” he said with a shrug. “But why so late? Why not just get an online degree or something?”

She cleared her throat, trying her best to get through what would be the first of many times having to explain her current situation, “Um, well, my dad got really sick after graduation. He passed in February, so I decided to apply. Figured it was as good a time as any, you know?”

They both nodded passively, their eyes filling with an emotion she had grown tired of over the past few years. Sympathy was not something she encouraged; she believed that it only highlighted weaknesses. Was it healthy? Perhaps not.

“It’s okay,” she butted in, shaking them from the awkward silence that grew thick in between. “He lived a really amazing life, and, honestly, I’m just happy that he’s not in pain anymore.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Steve smiled, reaching forward to place his hand on her shoulder. “You know, if _you_ can buy the drinks. I’m not old enough for that.”

Holly laughed, thankful for the levity that her new friend brought into the conversation. Robin smiled, reaching for her wallet and car keys before jingling them to her friends.

“Not to get too ahead of myself, but I am absolutely starved,” she chuckled, hopping off of the bed. “You like pizza, Holly?”

“It’s a part of the major food groups, how could I not?” she teased, standing up before grabbing her own purse off of her bed.

“Pizza it is, chaps,” Steve chirped, leading the charge out of the residence building, the two girls following closely behind him as he walked to Robin’s minivan.

⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺

The newly-formed trio spent the next two hours laughing and sharing stories over two pizzas, the awkwardness that came with introductions quickly fading as the meal went on. Holly learned that Robin was a vegetarian and Steve loved bacon on pretty much anything that was edible. Holly nearly caused an uproar at the table when she ordered a traditional Hawaiian pizza, the other two declaring that pineapples be damned from the culinary circuit all together. The entire gathering was relentlessly wholesome, the sun even coming out and shining brightly as their new bond of friendship was formed.

Holly couldn’t recall the last time that she had spent this much time with people who weren’t her family; it surely had been in the later part of her high school experience, but she couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment when. She never opened herself up to other people after her dad fell ill, and it was nice for her to finally be able to escape from that part of her reality, even if it was only for two hours.

After they returned to the dorms, Holly hopped onto her bright blue Huffy Cruiser, waving to the duo before biking across campus. She looked down at her tan wristwatch, smiling when she realized that she still had some time to kill before her advising appointment. The campus wasn’t overwhelmingly large, but she still took the opportunity to take in the environment as she followed the map attached to the brown wicker basket attached to her bike handles.

The sun’s rays reflected off of her sun-kissed skin, a picturesque image of a back-to-school advertisement. The curls of her ponytail twirled in the wind, her side bang and baby hairs releasing from their hold. She inhaled sharply, the scent of the flowers lining the walkway filling her nose. Her sinus passages would surely feel it in the morning, but, for now, she allowed herself to bask in the foliage and dry weather, a sharp contrast from her humid home down in south.

She pulled up to a tall, red and brown brick building, attaching her bike lock around her Huffy and a pole before de-straddling the bike seat, her white TOMs hitting the pavement with a tiny thud.

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen the building before. Her and her mom had come a few months prior to take a tour of the campus, something that quickly ended with Holly’s final decision to attend. It felt like a welcome change, something that somewhat resembled the comfort of home without duplicating its appearance. She took her phone out of her pocket, sifting through her emails before coming upon the confirmation for her appointment. She ensured the direction she was headed before entering the elevator, pressing a yellow button with the number 6 emblazoned on its hard plastic surface.

“Hold it!” came a deep voice from the outside, followed by a large hand blocking the elevator’s doors from closing.

Holly held the door open with an extended foot, all of the blood rushing from her face as she took in the appearance of the man whose voice beckoned for her. 

_Absolutely gorgeous_ , she thought, subconsciously biting her bottom lip as her eyes stared at the man entering the lift.

The man stood about seven inches taller than her, probably over six foot tall judging by the small gap in between the roof of the elevator and the man’s head. His jaw was sharp enough to cut glass, his clean-shaven face temptingly smooth enough to touch. His chest was incredibly broad, the material of his powder blue dress shirt clinging tightly over it, a thick red tie dangling in between two large pectoral muscles. A pair of black, thick-rimmed glasses sat perched on his nose, an image that put Clark Kent to absolute shame.

He smiled at her brightly upon entering the lift, clutching a thick manilla folder over his lower stomach as he drawled in a deep voice, “Six, please.”

She nodded her head slowly, mentally floundering for the next step she needed to take. She pressed the already-lit button once more, causing her to chuckle nervously, a blush rising to her cheeks as she glanced up to his eyes.

_How could eyes get that blue?_

The elevator door shut, the distance between the both of their bodies comically wide as the lift began to ascend. A slight pause introduced itself before he thankfully broke it.

“So, you excited for the semester?” the stranger asked, peering over her figured with a friendly smile.

“Y-Yes!” she stuttered, her thick eyelashes fluttering rapidly as she stared at her feet. “A little nervous, but I’m very excited.”

“First semester?” he asked, brows furrowing in confusion as he looked over the contours of her face.

“Yeah,” she drawled, twirling the hem of her white dress in between her fingertips.

“You don’t look like a freshman,” he smirked, a slight wink tossed in her direction that almost caused Holly to collapse on the floor.

“I’m twenty-two,” she said airily, her voice light and smooth as she dared to finally make long-lasting eye contact with the handsome man beside her. “Started late.”

“Ah,” he sighed, nodding before lifting his chin to look over you. “Well, better late than never, right?”

“Exactly,” she winked back, feeling confidant. 

The bell within the elevator dinged, the doors opening to the sixth floor of the building. _History Department_ was embellished on a bright yellow sign to indicate its location.The man motioned for her to go in front of him, a true gentleman if Holly had ever met one before. The girl bit her lip and exited, waiting for him to join her in the hallway.

“Well, it was nice meeting you…” she extended her hand, waiting with baited breath to finally put a name to his face.

“Jim,” he smiled, taking her smaller and softer hand in his grasp, his palm dwarfing her hand in a way that made her feel like she didn’t have kneecaps.

“Holly,” she squeaked, licking her lips before smiling at him.

“ _Holly?_ ” he quirked an eyebrow, releasing her hand as he opened up the folder in his hands. “You last name wouldn’t happen to be DelMonica, would it?”

Her mouth went dry, her heart in her throat as disappointment began to fill her thoughts, “Professor Hopper, aren’t you?”

“The one and only,” he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, avoiding eye contact with her as he admired the tiles of the floor.

_Well, shit._

The man seemed to have a similar thought process, his eyes shifting nervously between Holly’s and the floor. His demeanor began to shift into something sterner, as if he were subconsciously demanding respect from a student he would be in future contact with. It was a stark contrast to the overly friendly and flirtatious swagger he exuded minutes earlier. He cleared his throat roughly, returning his gaze to you.

“You can follow me,” he said awkwardly, beginning to walk in front of you. “My office is just down the hall.”

As much as her brain screamed at her to not let her thoughts wander, Holly couldn’t help but gaze down at the man’s backside, admiring with soft eyes how supple and firm the man’s ass was hidden behind a pair of very form-fitting black slacks. She closed her eyes, the intoxicating scent of his cologne trailing behind him as he walked. Everything about him exuded sex appeal, making Holly trip over the air as she tried to keep up with his gait.

He walked down the narrow hallway, dimly lit as it reflected off of the grey carpet. He finally stopped at the last wooden door on the right, a rectangle window allowing Holly to peer in with curiosity. He unlocked it using the keys he fished out of his pocket, opening it swiftly before holding the door open for her as she walked in.

Holly smiled, the scent of his cologne even stronger as it attached to the material of the chairs and carpet. As Hopper walked in and began to de-clutter the area of his desk, Holly looked around the small office, smiling as she began to see a small part of his life come to fruition. Various pictures hung on the walls, some of which contained what she assumed was family and friends. Alma mater swag littered the shelves, one of which was devoted to his brotherhood and memories of his glory days. A photo on the shelf pictured him and two other younger men, all three of them sporting fraternity letters.

_A frat boy. Definitely wouldn’t have guessed that._

He sat down behind his desk, his large body sinking into the cushioned black leather chair perched there. He set her files down on the surface of the desk before starting up his old Mac desktop, looking over at Holly with an awkward smile.

“So,” he started, crossing his hands over one another on the desk. “I read a little bit about you, but I don’t really know much outside of your entry essay and your application.”

“Oh,” she squeaked, sliding into one of the two chairs facing his desk. “Well, there’s not really much else to say. If you read my cover letter, then you pretty much know everything.”

“I know about why you started college late,” he said, his eyes soft as he looked into her light brown ones. “I don’t know you.”

Holly blushed under his gaze, her hands fiddling in her lap, “I could say the same about you, sir.”

“Touché,” he grinned with a chuckle, pulling a course tracking sheet from his desk drawer before handing it to her, the tips of their fingers brushing slowly and causing Holly’s breath to hitch. “I guess in time we will grow more acquainted with one another, hm?”

“Y-Yeah,” Holly breathed, yanking her hand away before smiling lightly as she looked over the classes on the white paper.

“So, you’re undecided,” he stated plainly, reaching for a red pin before he began to mark on the sheet in her hands. “That’s why I’m your advisor right now.”

“You won’t be my advisor later on?” she asked, her voice tinged in slight disappointment which caused the man to chuckle smugly.

“My specialty is history, but I only advise undecided majors,” he said. “Don’t be surprised if I try to sway you my way, though.”

_It’s a little too late for that._

Holly laughed nervously, rubbing one of her hands subconsciously up and down her dress-covered thigh. She looked up at him with cautious eyes, her breath catching in her throat when she discovered his gaze settled on the locket dangling between her breasts.

“That’s...my daughter, I, uh, I gave her the same necklace for Christmas a few years ago,” he smiling, pointing at the crescent-shaped medallion over her chest, his fingers inches away from her cleavage. “She loves astronomy, it’s actually what she’s planning on studying next year.”

“I _love_ astronomy,” Holly smiled brightly, her ears perking up at the mention of him being a father. She looked over his hands diligently.

_No wedding ring._

“Perhaps you should explore that as an option,” he advised, leaning back in his chair as he rubbed his hands up and down his upper thighs.

“Oh, no,” she chuckled, waving her hand. “Me and science? We’re mortal enemies.”

“Ah,” he sighed, smiling knowingly at her. “You and I are cut from the same cloth, then.”

Holly let out a breathy chuckle, leaning forward in earnest desire to know more about him, “That so?”

“I actually burned down a section of my high school chemistry lab back in the day,” he chuckled, biting his lip nervously. “But...that was a long, long time ago.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that long ago,” Holly teased, folding the marked-up course sheet into a square before sliding it in her pocket.

“I was a junior, so that was…” he looked up, invisible mathematical equations formulating in his mind. “Oh, Jesus. Twenty eight years ago?”

Holly blushed, looking over his strong neck, her mouth watering at the idea of kissing the hollow of his throat. He cleared his throat, causing her to look up at him with large, doe-like eyes, “Y-You don’t look like it was twenty eight years ago.”

Hopper blushed, biting the inside of his cheek, “So, I have a schedule of your classes here. I know you already scheduled them in the spring, but, just in case you wanted a hard copy. The library is a little intimidating, so I figured one less trip to the printer, right?”

She smiled sweetly at him, taking the hard copy from his hands before blushing at the contact between their fingers once more.

“I really appreciate you meeting with me, Professor. Especially since you didn’t need to come in until tomorrow,” she nodded her head, sliding the schedule into her pocket alongside the tracking sheet. 

“Trust me, the pleasure is all mine,” he cooed, resting a hand over his chest. “It looks like you’ve decided to take my history class, so I’m excited to get to know you a little better, Holly.”

Her breath hitched in her throat, her ears beginning to ring. _Wait, what?_

“I-I’m taking your class?” she arched her eyebrow, searching his face for more information.

“I teach almost all of the modern history requirements, so…” he smirked, turning his attention to his computer as he side-eyed her. “You definitely chose a great class. I have a really big penchant for World War II. I did my thesis on it back in graduate school.”

“The entire war?” she chuckled, tilting her head.

“Oh, no,” he laughed, his perfectly-straight teeth baring themselves to her. “Propaganda and smear tactics.”

“Of course,” she smiled, remembering that it was the focus of the class she decided to choose. 

A part of her grew fearful at how the semester would play out, especially with Jim being the instructor of one of her classes. She already found it difficult to pay attention in history, and with him at the front of the class, she was sure that it would prove to be even more difficult. She already had problems concentrating now, his blue eyes damn-near hypnotic as he looked at her.

“Looking forward to it, professor,” she smirked, standing up before walking to the door.

“Oh, and Miss DelMonica?” he asked, prompting her to turn around with wide eyes.

“Don’t forget your books,” he winked, returning his attention to the computer as she melted from his actions.

She giggled nervously, shaking her head as she left the room, closing the door and leaning against the wood.

_I’m in so much trouble._

⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺

Holly walked back into her room, stars clouding her vision as she waltzed over and flopped down onto her bed. Robin was sitting on her own, flipping through the worn pages of a novel on her pajama-clad lap, before she looked up at her with narrowed eyes.

“Someone’s a little chipper for an advisor meeting,” she smiled, tossing her book on her nightstand before directing her entire attention to her new friend. “Okay, spill.”

“What?” Holly chuckled, her cheeks stained red. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I might not know you that well, but I know what being bit by the love bug looks like,” Robin smirked, looking at her expectantly. “Trust me. I’ve seen it with Steve many, many times.”

“So I saw an incredibly attractive man? What’s the big deal?” she feigned innocence, rolling her eyes as she began to gather her items for a shower.

“That’s it?” Robin deadpanned. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s all.”

“Oh, hush,” she blushed, side-eyeing her before walking back into the hallway, braving herself for the first of many communal showers of the school year.

⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺

The next day, Holly met up with Steve in the residential quad. Both of them, she had discovered, shared very similar schedules. Though Steve had more options than she did, he wanted to get all of his core classes out of the way; thus, the both of them had a lot of overlap in classes. Holly looked down at her watch, fidgeting at the hands clicking closer to the start of class. 

“I heard the professor’s a real dick,” Steve sighed, putting his sunglasses on as the both of them walked across campus. “Asshole’s got tenure, so there’s no need for him to play nice with us.”

“I don’t think he’s going to be an asshole,” Holly smiled, clutching her history book over her chest. “He’s my advisor, actually...I met him yesterday.”

“Oh?” he asked with a chuckle. “Hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but I had my advisor as a professor last semester. Needless to say, that dipshit isn’t my advisor anymore.”

“He seems really genuine, though,” she smirked, looking over at Steve in an attempt to formulate the right words. “He’s just really smart and funny and-”

“ _Oh_ , you think he’s hot,” he replied in an ah-ha moment, suddenly realizing her true intentions and why she was dressed the way she was. “That would explain why you’re wearing that top.”

“ _What’s wrong with my top?_ ” she asked, suddenly worried as she looked down at her red, off-the-shoulder top which clung over her breasts like a glove. “It’s too much, isn’t it? Shit, I don’t have time to go and change.”

“It looks good,” Steve chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s just a far cry from the dress you wore yesterday, that’s all.”

Holly sighed in relief as Steve continued, “Well, it probably won’t last. I give this crush one to two weeks tops.”

She rolled her eyes, quickly switching the subject of their conversation to a conspiracy video she had watched the night before. The both of them quickly approached the history and philosophy complex before walking up the stairs, continuously discussing whether or not Chuck E. Cheese did, in fact, reuse leftover pizza slices.

Holly slid into the seat closest to the desk at the center of the room, hoping that she would get the perfect view of the star of the show. Steve continued to yap on and on about a new Mandela Effect he heard about last week on twitter, but Holly’s attention now lay somewhere else. 

_What would he look like today? How would he act? Is he really an asshole, like Steve said?_

All of her anxieties seemed to build to an impossible climax, her thoughts vanishing into thin air when a familiar figure walked into the classroom, snatching Holly’s breath out of her lungs.

_Oh, yeah. Definitely in trouble._


	2. Lecture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holly can’t seem to concentrate in her classes…distractions, distractions, distractions…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is settling in well with all of this nonsense going on. My inspiration has a hit a sort of a lull in the past week, so I apologize if this chapter isn’t as good as the first one was. I am planning on releasing the third chapter this time next week. I think that one installment per week will be a good way to not burn myself out. In the mean time, don’t be afraid to submit HC/Drabble or Gif requests to my tumblr page!

Holly swore that she could feel her heartbeat reverberate in her eardrums. Her breath caught in her through like a marble, her lungs growing incredibly tight as her light brown eyes raked over Professor Hopper’s figure. 

There was an aura of undeniable confidence that exuded from him, his strikingly blue eyes focused on the next destination his feet were taking him, tossing his dark red-leather satchel onto the wooden desk with a huff. If she had to guess correctly, she would have assumed that, like her, he had just ran across the campus to get here based off of how heavy his breathing was.

She squeezed her thighs tightly together on instinct, the black denim of her jeans rubbing together and creating electric static. She attempted to swallow down the ball in her throat as nerves began to clump into knots in her stomach. Steve continued to yap in her ear, his attention never deterring despite the fact that a true Greek Adonis stood before the classroom as he set up his presentation on the computer, his eyes furrowed in concentration as he navigated Google Slides.

“…uh, Holly?” Steve interrupted her train of though, his voice fading into Holly’s consciousnesses as he attempted to rein her back into his conversation.

Hopper’s head shot up quickly, his eyes searching over the room for the person whose name it belonged to. A large smile spread across his face as he made eye contact with Holly. His eyes were soft, his lips even softer as they upturned into a grin. She delicately lifted her hand up in a wave, her cheeks growing to a light shade of pink as the room seemed to stand still. Hopper’s nose scrunched up, giving her a small wave in return as he smiled back with equal fervor.

“Oh, Jesus, you’ve got it _bad_ ,” Steve murmured under his breath, shaking his head in judgement as he opened up his spiral notebook.

Holly turned around sharply, her long dark curls nearly whipping her friend in the face as she narrowed her eyes at him. She hissed, careful to keep her voice low, “Can you please keep your voice down?”

“What? Why?” he chuckled, a devilish grin appearing on his lips. “Don’t want Professor Dreamboat to know he makes you cream your jeans?”

Holly gasped at the same time that Hopper coughed loudly into his fist, his cheeks now a dark shade of burgundy at Steve’s voice. Holly turned around with wide eyes, Steve’s obscene remark making her head spin with embarrassment, as well as the amount of accuracy it contained. Hopper approached the center of the room, his eyes avoiding Holly’s nervous stare as he stopped just a few feet short of her desk.

“Well, class, it’s 11:30. You know what that means,” he declared to the room, his voice booming yet smooth, causing a shiver to shoot down Holly’s spine as she looked up at him. “You’ve now given all of your time to me. Welcome to the thunder dome, everyone.”

Holly giggled nervously, quickly covering her mouth in humiliation at the unexpected volume that escaped her lips. Her eyes quickly shot down to her desk, never noticing the small smirk that pulled at Hopper’s lips as he looked down at her frame.

“Well, at least _someone_ thinks that I’m funny,” he grumbled with a sly grin. “Remember, everyone, that flattery will get you everywhere with me.”

Holly bit her lower lip, peering up at him under long black lashes as he returned his gaze to the rest of the class.

“Well, I am Professor Hopper, but you guys can call me Hop. I graduated from here about twenty-three years ago with a B.A. in historical studies…no shocker there.”

Holly smirked, her eyes growing transfixed on him, resting her chin in her hand as he elbow crooked to a perfect 90º angle. She quickly found herself getting lost in the way he spoke so smoothly and deeply, a hypnotic state unwillingly taking over her.

“I am the chapter advisor of our chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa,” he grinned widely, gesturing his hands to create the symbol of his brotherhood. “IFC is having a barbecue tomorrow in the residential quad. I better see _all_ of you men at our booth. I promise I’m not biased in the least.”

Holly forced herself to stifle yet another chuckle, silently cursing herself for reacting to him in such a childlike way. He was incredibly energetic, enthusiasm dropping from him as he spoke about Greek involvement on campus. She tilted her head, her vibrant red lips parting slightly as he continued to speak with vigor.

“I did a few tours in Iraq, so I know a little something about the war. You’ll definitely get something out of this class, even if it’s just random stories about my asshole comrades.”

The classed laughed lightly in response, the awkward mood of the room shifting at his relaxed use of vocabulary. He smiled in victory, having won the student over in a record-breaking five minutes. He shoved his fists into his pockets, walking over to the left side of the room before gesturing to the first student in the row.

“I think I’ll have you guys go around the room and introduce yourselves,” he continued. “I can’t promise to remember all of your names. My memory is, in fact, quite shit when it comes to names and titles, but…we can try.”

One by one, the class awkwardly introduced themselves. Hopper’s eyes slowly made their way to Holly’s row, his eyes shifting to her figure every once and a while as she listened enthusiastically to the other students’ introductions before it fell onto her.

“Well, I’m Holly,” she smiled, waving awkwardly to the room.

“Hey there, Holly,” Hopper smiled, a small smile plastered on his face as he repeated her name, something he had yet to do with any student before her.

Holly stuttered over her words, goosebumps tickling her flesh at the intensity of his gaze as it fell onto her. She tugged her bottom lip in between her teeth, a sort of tick she had developed in previous years to cope with anxiety-provoking situations.

“I’m a freshman from Austin…currently an undecided major,” she smiled, looking back at Hopper with wide eyes. 

Hopper nodded his head knowingly, his eyes shifting to her lips before Steve spoke up behind her, breaking the intense exchange between the student and professor.

“What’s up, my name is Steve. Sophomore business major,” he grinned tightly, clear annoyance present in his voice at having to conduct this song and dance for the third time this morning.

Hopper slowly pulled his gaze away from Holly to smile politely at her friend. She released a breath she wasn’t away she was holding in, her mouth growing incredibly dry from the thick air between the two of them.

 _Did anyone else see that?_ she thought to herself. _Am I just making this up in my head?_

After that exchange, Holly found it increasingly difficult to pay attention to any other word spoken by anyone, including the words spoken by the object of her desires. She certainly hadn’t expected for things to be this difficult. 

_Wait, what was it that they were beginning with? Was it the Civil War or World War I?_

No matter how hard she tried, Holly couldn’t recall any of the material being taught; she only remembered the thoughts that crowded her brain…thoughts that involved what a certain professor would look like as he hovered over her, his eyes bearing into hers as he-

The class laughed sharply at a joke Hopper told, his eyes looking towards Holly for validation. His face fell when he realized that she didn’t laugh, but, to her credit, she _would_ have if she wasn’t imagining what it would feel like for him to be railing her on top of his desk.

The notebook that she brought with her remained shut tightly throughout the duration of the lecture, her light pink gel pin remaining capped as she drummed it lightly against the top of the book. In a different situation, she could easily picture his voice lulling her to sleep as he whispered gently in her ear. Her thoughts became free agents, no amount of control reining them in as she began to think about what that voice would sound like in close quarters. Her cheeks began to beat red at the idea of his voice dropping an octave, growling and groaning as he held her in his arms-

_Get your mind out of the fucking gutter, DelMonica!_

On occasion, Hopper’s smile would grow wider as he looked at her, his eyes forgetting to look away and to give the same amount of attention to the other students. It made her feel warm inside, like she was the only woman in the room…like she was the only woman in the world.

Hopper sighed heavily, looking down at his leather-bound wristwatch after he completed his final slide. 

“Well, I guess I could let you guys go a little early,” he drawled with a smile, exiting out of the webpage. “I’ll be uploading a PDF later on today. It’s only about fifteen pages, so please make sure to read it before next class.”

Holly remained unmoved, her eyes glazed over as a hint of drool threatened to escape her mouth. Steve nudged her shoulder as other students began to file out of the classroom, Hopper beginning to gather his belongings as Holly came to.

“Where’d you go off to?” Steve chuckled, throwing his bag over his shoulder as Holly shook her head.

“N-No where,” she stuttered, a small smile appearing as she wiped the corners of her mouth.

She stood up quickly, blood rushing from her head as she began to gather her tote bag in her arms. She looked over at Hopper’s figure before turning to Steve with a whisper, “Can you wait for me for, like, five minutes?”

Steve narrowed his eyes, his gaze shifting between Holly and Hopper with suspicion before shrugging his shoulders, “Five minutes. After that, I’m getting lunch with or without you.”

“Deal,” she chuckled, fiddling with the straps of her tote as he walked into the hallway.

She turned around, her eyes roaming the room to make sure everyone had left before approaching Hopper at his podium.

“That was a really good lecture, Hop,” she smiled, licking her lips as she stopped a few feet away from him.

“Oh, yeah?” he teased, raising an eyebrow as he slid his planner into his bag. “What was your favorite part?”

Holly paused, her mouth going dry as her lips parted briefly, her mind going blank. She had absolutely no idea what he talked about today, but, _damn_ , if she didn’t enjoy watching him talk about it.

Hopper laughed, shaking his head, “It’s okay. I appreciate the compliment even if you _were_ daydreaming most of the time.”

Holly grimaced, her cheeks ruddy as she looked down at her shoes, “I’m sorry…I guess…I was just more focused on the person _giving_ the lecture than the lecture itself.”

“Oh,” he gasped with a smile.

It was now his turn to grow bashful, chuckling nervously as he rubbed a hand over his face. He grabbed his bag, adjusting the strap over his shoulder as he cleared his throat, “So, Miss DelMonica, how have the rest of your classes been?”

“This was actually my first one,” she smiled, moving out of the way to allow him to walk before her.

“So, I guess I set the bar pretty high, huh?” he asked smugly, turning into the hallway before she began to walk beside him.

“I mean, you said it, not me,” she smirked, bumping his shoulder playfully with her own, before they stopped at the elevator a few feet away from Steve, who was currently checking his Bumble for matches on his cell phone. “Well, I guess I’ll see you Wednesday?”

“You mean I didn’t bore you enough to drop the class?” he teased. “I would love to hear your thoughts on the reading…I think you could offer the class a lot of insight on the subject.”

“And why would that be, professor?” she cocked her head, smiling at him dopily, before crossing her arms tightly underneath the swell of her breasts.

Hopper’s eyes glanced down to her cleavage, a smirk playing at his lips before looking back into her eyes, “It’s an account from a younger woman about her relationship with a German soldier in World War II.”

“Oh,” Holly replied in confusion, furrowing her eyebrows. “Why would I have insight on that?”

He bent down, his face hovering a few inches away from holly’s ear as he whispered, “It’s about forbidden lust. I just figure that…maybe that would be of interest to you?”

Holly’s lips parted, her heart beginning to pound against her rib cage as a throb presented itself in between her thighs. The man returned to his position, winking at her before cockily striding into the now-open elevator. Holly’s feet remained glued to the floor as she lifted her hand up to cup her cheek lightly.

_Professor Dreamboat, indeed._

Steve approached her, a bemused expression painted on his face as he motioned to her cheeks, “Your face is about as red as your blouse.”

She chuckled, waving her hand in dismissal, “Sorry, he’s just-”

“I don’t wanna know,” he interrupted her, shoving his phone into his pocket before gesturing to the stairwell. “My stomach is growling louder and louder by the second, and I need some damn food.”

Holly smirked gratefully, trying in vain to refocus her attention back to Steve’s newest obsession as he began to talk.

Only it never came.

The rest of her classes found her to be overwhelmingly distracted. She couldn’t place her finger on what exactly it was about Hopper that had such a hold on her. Something about him made her feel different, _special_ even. The only other time she had felt like this was in her junior year of high school, truly the most embarrassing year of her high school career.

His name was Brett Gillman.

A senior in her physics class, Brett would often force himself to pair with Holly for lab assignments. They would discuss a wide range of strange topics as they found the density, volume, and mass of various objects. He was smart, funny, stunningly beautiful…the image of his green eyes kept her awake in bed on multiple occasions. They had went on a few dates, Brett even asking Holly to be his date to the prom. Everything about their relationship was looking up until she caught him making out with Jaime Penderghast in the coat closet at the dance.

Maybe you shouldn’t let yourself go down this path again. You’ll just end up hurting yourself.

As much as she tried to reason with her logic, Holly DelMonica was certainly smitten, and there was no end in sight.

_⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺_

Holly sighed in relief as she opened the door of her dorm room, fatigue settling into his limbs from a long day of boring lecture and even more boring professors. 

She tossed her tote bag onto the floor near the edge of her bed, falling onto her mattress with a thud before she fished her phone out of her jean pocket. She unlocked her screen, her thumb hovering over the Facebook icon as she pondered her next move. With a sigh, she clicked on the application, waiting for it to load before she typed in the name in the search bar.

Jim Hopper.

He appeared as the first result, his profile picture sending butterflied to flood her stomach. It must have been from a while a go, he face painted with a scruffy beard. She bit her lower lip, her eyes glued to his eyes as they peered into the camera lens. They were so, _so_ blue.

To her surprise, Hopper’s profile wasn’t set to private, a clear invitation for her to poke around further. His entire life was laid out for her to peruse. After sifting through some photos (each one even more adorable than the other), she finally landed on a photo with him and his daughter.

She was a spritely thing, her hair length ending right below her ears, smiling a toothy grin as she clung to her father’s shoulders. Holly discovered that her name was Jane, but she longed to know more. She wanted to know more about her and how Hopper came to find her. 

After looking further into his profile, Holly left with even more questions than she did answers. The desire to know more about him began to blossom in her mind.

_You need to stop before you get hurt._

Holly’s head snapped up as Robin entered the dorm room, her disheveled hair matched with the huge grin on her face doing nothing more than to drive Holly into further confusion.

“Hey,” Holly greeted, quickly shutting her phone off before tossing it onto her pillow.

“What’s up?” she asked excitedly, toeing off her tennis shoes before tossing her keys onto her dresser. “How was your first day?”

“It was fine…a little boring, I guess,” she lied, avoiding Robin’s eyes as she flopped onto her own mattress. “Boring classes, boring teachers, you know? The usual.”

“Mhmm,” Robin nodded. “Well, my day was phenomenal. Thanks for asking.”

Holly chuckled, tilting her head at her roommate, “ _Phenomenal?_ ”

“I met the love of my life,” she nodded. “She’s the most amazing girl I’ve ever met, I swear to god. Oh my gosh you should have _seen_ her.”

Holly beamed at her, reaching her hands out to her, “Pictures! I want a picture!”

“I don’t have a picture, but I _do_ have a phone number,” Robin replied smugly.

“Look at you,” she cooed, leaning back to rest her back against the wall next to her bed. “Tell me everything.”

“Her name is Christine,” she started, her eyes looking to the corner of the room like she was recounting a dramatic tale. “We’re in stats together. She helped me figure out some dumb ass equation, and, Holly, she is _so_ smart.”

Holly laughed, “That’s…Robin, that’s amazing. I’m really happy for you.”

“Thank you,” she sang, bouncing up and down on the mattress in excitement before pausing. “Okay, so now you can cut the shit, because Steve told me all about how smitten you were with some guy.”

“Some guy?” Holly asked, her eyes narrowing.

“Yeah, he didn’t say much,” she replied. “But he _did_ say that there was someone.”

Holly rolled her eyes with a laugh, “It’s no one, just some little crush. A very complicated crush.”

Robin furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as Holly groaned, feeling forced to continue, “He’s probably the most amazing guy I will ever meet. And he is definitely the sexiest, but…I don’t know, Robin. It’s just a little crush.”

“I mean, is he single? Straight?” Robin asked, shrugging her shoulders.

“I mean, yeah, I think so.”

“Than what’s the problem?” she chuckled. “You’re _breathtakingly_ gorgeous. I highly doubt he will reject you unless he’s taken or gay.”

Holly blushed, shaking her head, “I mean…sure, he’s made some comments that would definitely make me think that he _could_ be interested, but…it’s complicated.”

“It can’t be that bad,” she deadpanned. “I mean, you never know unless you try, right?”

“Robin, he’s…” Holly began, avoiding contact with her eyes. “He’s my professor, Robin.”

“…oh,” Robin chuckled. “Wait, really? Steve made it seem like it was just some guy.”

Holly shook her head nervously, looking down into her lap, “Yeah, well…I guess it isn’t.”

“Holly?” Robin asked, leaning forward before Holly looked up. “I know it might not be my place, but…can I offer you some advice?”

Holly sighed, nodding her head slowly before Robin continued, “A chemistry professor got fired last year for having a romantic relationship with his student. The student…well, she was told to go somewhere else.”

The blood rushed from Holly’s face, her ears ringing at the idea that never even crossed her thoughts, “I-I didn’t even think about that.”

“Yeah,” Robin replied awkwardly. “Look, maybe it’s just a harmless little crush, yeah?”

Holly forced a smile, knowing deep down that this wasn’t as simple as a school girl infatuation, “Y-Yeah, probably.”

Her roommate smiled tightly, leaning over to put her tennis shoes back on, “Why don’t you come with me to the store? We can get some junk food and just watch some videos or something?”

“No…no, I’m okay,” Holly smiled, shaking her head. “I’m a little tired.”

“Holly-”

“Really, I think I just need a nap, okay?”

Robin sighed, nodding her head before grabbing her keys, “Well, if you need anything, call me. I should be back in like an hour.”

Holly nodded her head quietly, watching her roommate exit the dorm before she rested her head on her pillow, grabbing her phone and putting it on her nightstand. 

She closed her eyes, willing for herself to fall asleep and to forget any intense feelings she had. 

She didn’t expect to fall asleep so quickly.

And she certainly didn’t expect to dream of that pair of strikingly blue eyes.

Blue eyes that, she soon would discover, she would happily allow herself to be expelled for. 


	3. Pretty Damn Brilliant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holly meets a new friend in her math class, leading to an awkward encounter at the Greek life barbecue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very ashamed that it took me this long to post the third part. I am so, so, so sorry. My motivation for fics has been very low lately; I’ve mostly been focusing on making gif sets, which I feel soothes me a lot more. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this third part. I’m not sure when the fourth one will be released, but when I know you will know.

The smell of old furniture and aged walls accompanied with the sound of grating white chalk make Holly’s spine tingle unpleasantly. The professor, a stout woman in her mid-40s dressed in a floral ankle-length dress, stood at the front of the class scribbling her name harshly onto a chalkboard, her body wiggling as she wrote while her tight grey bun remained taut despite erratic movements.

Mathematics had never been Holly’s strongest subject in school. A small part of her wanted to blame that characteristic on her father, who opted for a career in the arts rather than something deemed to be more practical by his in-laws’ standards. His creativity and passion ran deep through the young girl’s veins, something made apparent by the current sketches laid out before her in a small brown sketchbook.

Two almond-shaped eyes took up the majority of the white paper, black and white shades of the granite pencil staring back at her though the model’s eyes were deep cerulean. The same eyes that bore into her soul the night before in a dream vivid enough to still leave goosebumps on the back of her neck. A fantasy that felt so real that Holly needed to take a cold shower upon smacking her alarm clock off. A dream that left a throbbing in between her thighs no matter how hard she tried to think of something else.

The wooden chair next to Holly squeaked against harsh linoleum tiles as another student sat down next to her, causing Holly to stir from her thoughts. The classroom, which held maybe about twenty other students, was large enough to fit a sixty-person lecture. A stranger sitting this close to her piqued her curiosity, her eyes narrowing at the young girl.

The shorter and thinner girl with brown waves of hair placed a small satchel next to the leg of her chair before straightening out a baby-pink Delta Zeta tee-shirt. She turned to Holly with a bright smile before offering her hand to her, her fingernails manicured neatly with a matching shade of pink nail polish.

“Nancy,” she offered with a bright grin. 

Holly took her hand gently with an equally face-splitting smile, her nerves soothing at a bright presence in such a grey room, “Holly.”

“You heard anything about this class?” Nancy asked, flipping through a spiral notebook to find an empty and crisp page.

“Not a peep,” Holly shrugged, closing her sketchbook before replacing it with a used and cracked composition notebook, the spine bending like rubber as she flipped for a clean page.

“I’ve been pushing this class back as much as I could,” the other girl giggled, her light blue eyes creasing behind a kind smile. “It’s my last semester, so I can’t really push it back any further.”

“You mean to tell me that you _don’t_ think math is the best class in the world?” Holly asked sarcastically, teasingly tilting her head with a roll of her brown eyes.

“Shocking, isn’t it?” the girl responded, matching her eye-roll. “I can’t even do basic math without a calculator, so I’m afraid that you’ll be hearing a lot of questions from me.”

Holly giggled, her eyes darting down to her notebook with a grimace, “Well, I can’t say I’ll be of much help. Looks like we’re in this mess together.”

“Better to have an ally than an enemy,” Nancy smirked.

“Exactly,” Holly laughed before a small silence fell between the two of them. Holly bit her lower lip, her curiosity piqued by the girl’s blouse, “So, you’re a Zeta?”

“Yes, ma’am!” she chirped. “Proud member of the senior class. Been at it for four years now.”

“You know, I’ve been considering-”

“-Alright, class,” interrupted the professor as she waddled to the podium at the center of the room. “If you all will take out your syllabus, we can start.”

“ _Shit_ ,” cursed Nancy under her breath, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “I forgot to print the damn thing.”

“Lucky you,” Holly smiled, reaching into her bag to retrieve two copies. “I can’t work the library printer for shit and I accidentally printed two.”

Nancy’s eyes lit up, a grateful look spreading over her pixie-like face, “Thank you so much. It’s like I was meant to sit next to you today.”

“Fate is a funny thing,” she replied, handing her the paper.

The class zoomed by in a blur, Holly’s thoughts continuing to drift to images of the dream she just couldn’t manage to shake away. In all of her years of schoolgirl crushes or celebrity infatuations, not one of those men ever made their way into her dreams the way that Hopper had. She had awoken in a pool of her own sweat, the throbbing in between her legs making her blush as she looked over at her roommate’s still-sleeping body. She cowered under the sheets in embarrassment, worried that Robin had heard vulgar murmurs tumble off of her lips in her sleep.

The professor finally ended her slideshow after a brief lecture on polynomials, causing Holly to sigh in relief as she began to discuss the details of the assignment due at the end of the week. Forty-five minutes, over and done with for the day. The only issue that remained was what Holly was to do with the remainder of daylight. 

“So, where are you headed?” Holly asked Nancy as she shoved her books into her bag.

“I have this barbecue thing I need to go to for DZ,” she sighed before looking up with doe-like eyes, a smile pulling at bright pink lips. “You know what? You should come with me. I know that my sisters would absolutely _love_ to meet you.”

“Really?” Holly whispered, tossing her bag over her shoulder. “I’m not going to lie, my history professor mentioned the barbecue and I was considering going.”

“Oh my gosh,” the girl sighed dreamily, a hand flying dramatically over her chest. “Are you talking about Professor Hop?”

Holly blushed, tucking a stray curl behind her ear coyly, “Yep. The one and only.”

“That man is way too adorable for his own good,” she smiled, bumping her shoulder against Holly’s as they began to walk into the hallway. “My boyfriend, Jonathan...he’s a Phi Sig. Hop is their advisor and he’s just done so much for him and his family. I swear, you would think that Hop is his girlfriend and not me with how much he gushes over him.”

Holly chuckled, her comfort blossoming at Nancy’s enthusiasm as she continued to talk about her boyfriend. Before she knew it, both girls were approaching the residential quad filled with numerous Greek life booths. They continued to walk until Nancy arrived at the Delta Zeta booth, placing her bag underneath the table before motioning to two of her sisters.

“Guys, this is Holly,” Nancy smiled, grabbing Holly’s shoulders eagerly. “She’s thinking about going Greek.”

“Nice to meet you, Holly,” piped up a redhead with wire-rimmed glasses, extending her hand. “I’m Penelope.”

“Jennifer,” introduced the other, a curvy blonde with emerald-green eyes.

“You know, I think that you have a lot of criteria we look for in a pledge,” Nancy shrugged.

“You think so?” Holly asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“I mean, technically I’m not supposed to say that, but I won’t tell if you won’t,” she smirked. “I can’t promise you a bid, but I really think you would be great with us.”

“That means a lot, Nancy,” Holly smiled, nodding her head. “I don’t know. All of this seems really intense-”

“I promise it’s not as bad as it looks,” assured Jennifer. “I’m from California, so I really didn’t know anyone when I came here. Now, I have sixty sisters. _And counting_.”

“Why don’t I sign you up for recruitment?” asked Penelope, motioning towards the laptop on the table. “I swear, if you change your mind, you can always back out. No harm, no foul.”

Holly bit her lip, a smile spreading across her lips as she began to nod, “Okay. Let’s do it.”

After giving a few details to the dainty freckled-face sophomore, Nancy smiled brightly at her, “I don’t want to hog you all up to myself. Why don’t you grab something to eat and go look at the other booths? I’ll be here when you finish!”

“Okay, yeah,” she grinned, shoving her hands into her pockets as her stomach rumbled lowly. “Now that you mention it, I haven’t ate since last night.”

“Go get some free food,” the girl groaned, patting her on the back before motioning to the grill at the center of the field surrounded by tables filled with food.

Holly excused herself, waving gently to the girls she just met before heading towards the table. After snagging a hot dog and a bag of chips, she turned around and began to walk, her eyes focused on keeping the items on her plate rather than the brick wall of a chest she ran into. The hotdog jumped, the mustard on the dog transferring to the man’s red Phi Sigma Kappa tee-shirt before Holly gasped.

“Oh, _fuck!_ ” she cursed, turning around to grab a handful of napkins on instinct. “I am so, _so_ sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s not a problem, Miss Holly,” came a familiarly deep voice, causing the color to drain from the girl’s face as she turned back around.

Professor Jim Hopper wore a tight red tee-shirt well, _too_ well. You could almost see the outline of his pectoral muscles, his arms practically smothered by tight sleeves. His bright blue eyes creased with a boyish smile, opting for contacts over his usual thick-rimmed glasses. He looked almost like a normal, college-aged fraternity man with his dark blonde hair falling over his forehead. Tight dark denim jeans clung to thick thighs perfectly, nearly making Holly drop the napkins in her hand.

“I-I really didn’t mean to stain your shirt,” Holly blushed, walking towards him and cursing when she stepped on the remainder of her hot dog. “God _damn_ it.”

Hopper chuckled, reaching for the napkins in Holly’s hand before crouching down to blot of the small amount of mustard that got onto her white shoes, “You gotta be careful when you wear shoes like this.”

“What are you doing?” she chuckled, shivers going down her spine as he held her ankle in his grip. “They’re just shoes, those napkins were supposed to be for your ruined shirt.”

Hopper rolled his eyes, finally standing up to look down at her, “I have plenty of Phi Sig shirts. Plus...I mean, it looks much better this way, don’t you think? Red and yellow? Ketchup and mustard? It matches the barbecue theme to a tee.”

Holly chuckled, her shoulders bouncing as she covered her smiled with a hand. He really was the epitome of “calm and collected.”

“Have you read the material yet?” he asked, tossing the used napkins into a nearby trashcan.

“I haven’t, actually,” she winced, a small smile tugging at her lips despite the confession. “I fell asleep as soon as I got back into the dorm and I just didn’t have time to do both.”

“Well, sleep _is_ incredibly important,” he spoke before biting his lip. “I would have loved to hear your thoughts on it, though. Guess I’ll just have to wait until tomorrow to hear it like everyone else.”

“Why are you so eager to hear what I have to say?” asked Holly, raising an eyebrow at him as he continued to stare down at her. It didn’t feel intimidating as much as it was intense.

“I read your essay. You’re pretty damn brilliant,” he smiled, tucking his fists into his pockets. “I just want to hear what’s in that head of yours, Miss DelMonica.”

“It’s nothing special, I assure you, _Mister Hopper_ ,” she teased, shaking her head.

“Well, I assure you that it is,” he whispered, leaning forward and winking at her.

_That damn wink._

Just as the floor was about to open up and swallow Holly whole, a lean boy with shaggy brown hair jogged up to Hopper’s side in a rush, patting his shoulder impatiently and causing Hopper’s eyebrows to furrow as he looked back at him.

“The president is about to give a speech,” the boy piped up. “Thought you’d want to join the rest of us.”

“Thanks, Jonathan,” he sighed, looking back at Holly with a shrug and forlorn eyes. “Duty calls.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Professor,” Holly smirked, gently waving to him before he nodded, walking back over to the booth with his brother in tow.

_Jeans had never looked so good on a man before._

_⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺⟺_

Holly returned to her dorm room an hour later, brochures and flyers from different organizations tucked into her jean pockets as she began to empty out her bag. With a sigh, she retrieved her laptop and pulled up Moodle, a website where all of her classes posted assignments and grades. She sat down at her desk and began to look through the courses, a smile spreading across her face when _World War and Propaganda_ popped up. 

With furrowed eyebrows, she searched in the folders for the reading, sighing in relief when she came across the only other PDF on the page.

**Forbidden Relationships and Propaganda: World War II Re-Tellings of Love and Loss by James E. Hopper, Ph.D.**

_He wrote a fucking book?_

A small part of Holly wanted to roll her eyes at the idea of a professor assigning his own material to his class, but an even bigger part wanted to know what he had to say. With a huff, she grabbed a can of La Croix and began to read, prepared to be bored out of her mind within the first paragraph...but it never came.

Usually, historical sources tended to make Holly fall asleep, but something about the way Hopper wielded his words made it seem like more of a novel that a piece of research. The paragraphs blended together, one minute turning to five and five to ten. She bit her lip, leaning forward as she read over a paragraph closer to the end.

**He couldn’t help but stare at her as she spoke. His eyes roamed everywhere except for where they should have. She was the only person in the world and, while a part of him knew that he shouldn’t want her, he knew deep in his heart that he would die for her. Thus began a year-long affair between the two lovers who fought against tyranny and discrimination to stay with one another. A secrecy like no other that was duplicated by other couples of the same predicament...**

_Holy fucking shit_ , Holly thought to herself. _He’s fucking perfect_.

Against her better judgment, Holly began to dig in her backpack for a folder, retrieving the syllabus for the class and biting her lip as she looked at Hopper’s phone number marked at the top of the page.

_Fuck it._

She typed in the number in her contacts, saving it before opening up her messages to text him.

_**Just read the assignment. I didn’t know you were an established author. - Holly** _

She sent it before she could even think, a lump forming in her throat as she waited. A bigger lump taking its place as three dots formed on the screen.

**Thank you, but I would hardly say I’m “established.” Did you like it??**

_**I did. I really, really did. You have a really amazing way with your words, professor.** _

**I’m glad you enjoyed it. Can’t wait to talk to you about it tomorrow. ;)**

Holly gasped through her nose, her hands shaking as she hovered over the keyboard.

_He’s going to be the death of me._

_**Likewise. ;)** _


	4. Someone Who Understood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holly and Hopper have an unexpected encounter in the hallway, leading the girl to realize that they have more in common than she originally thought.

Headphones fit snugly into Holly’s ears as she ascended the back staircase of the history complex. Music notes from _Two Ghosts_ echoed in her eardrums as she slowly turned a corner, glancing down at her watch to confirm that she had close to twenty minutes until class began. With a hefty sigh, she tossed her satchel down on the tiled floor across from her empty classroom before sitting down and retrieving her sketchbook. She began to flip through smudged pages, landing on a recent drawing she began the night before.

Dark grey shades of a strong torso and face graced the beige page, shoulders sturdy and jawline chiseled almost identically to the model who inspired it. Purposefully neglecting his facial features, Holly began to sketch around the model’s head, an aura of mystery peppering the page. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to not draw the man in his entirety, but doing so she feared she would cross some sort of line. An unspoken, eerily creepy line.

The brunette sat with her book on her knee, her pencil continuing to stroke the page quickly. Her white high tops tapped along to the music in her ears, the yellow mustard stain from yesterday shining like a beacon of light against her all-white outfit. Her hair was wrapped in a messy bun, her face naturally painted save for flicks of an eyebrow pencil and swipes of mascara over each long lash.

She was so engrossed in the drawing before her that she didn’t sense someone behind her, looming above her shoulder as he watched her hand dance across the page. He lent forward, tapping two thick fingers gently over the exposed flesh of her shoulder, prompting Holly to gasp and quickly remove an earbud as she turned around, her shoulders instantly relaxing upon meeting familiar blue eyes.

Jim Hopper looked down at her face with mirth and a matching smirk, familiar thick-rimmed glasses returning to the slope of his nose. A white dress shirt clung to his torso, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows with the first few buttons undone as he pointed at the sketch.

“You trace that, Miss Holly?” he teased with a chuckle.

The girl sputtered, shaking her head with a blush as a smile graced her mauve lips, “No way. Tracing is for losers.”

“You calling me a loser?” he winked, gripping his lesson plan tightly against his lower half as he began to sway on his feet.

Holly smirked before shaking her head, scooting over slightly in an invitation. He looked around, smoothing out his shirt before sitting down on the tiles next to her as he continued to look over her drawing.

“You’re incredibly talented,” he smiled, biting his lower lip. “I can’t say I’m surprised, though.”

Holly blushed, removing her other earbud before placing her phone in her leg pocket, “Thanks, Hop.”

“Who is he supposed to be?” he asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

“No one in particular,” she lied with a shrug. “I guess you could call it free form.”

He nodded in understanding, licking his tongue across his lower lip as the scent of the younger woman’s shampoo reached his nose. Honey and lavender. The man smiled before looking over her face once more with pensive eyes.

The girl’s breath caught in her upper throat before she stuttered out, “I-I’ve actually been thinking about swapping my major to something artistic.”

Holly shut her sketchbook before beginning to lightly drum her fingers against the hard binding of the book, “Not sure I’d be successful at it, though. So, I’m a tad apprehensive.”

“Well, that’s just _wrong_ ,” he furrowed his eyebrows with a scoff. “You can definitely make a career out of it with just a little guidance and tutelage. You already have the talent. I mean, your strokes are quite _smooth_ and _practiced_.”

The older man smirked at her, double entendre evident in his statement which caused Holly to giggle nervously as he continued, “I will say...I’m a little sad that I won’t be your advisor anymore.”

“Is that so?” she asked, tilting her chin up at him in a silent challenge.

“Yeah,” he whispered with a wolfish grin. “That’s so.”

“Don’t worry, professor,” she assured, nudging his shoulder with her pointer fingers. “I promise I’ll still be the same pain-in-the-ass. I’ll knock on your office door every once in a while.”

“I’ll hold you to that promise, Miss Holly,” he smirked, his eyes locking with the girl’s honey-brown orbs, his attention secured in a vice grip. 

He cleared his throat, the tension building at a rate much quicker than either of them was prepared for, “You know...Sarah enjoyed art, too. I used to joke around with her...tell her she was gonna make the next Spongebob Squarepants or something. Her and El are a little similar in that way. Always looking to make something special.”

“Sarah...?” Holly whispered, squinting her eyes slightly as she tried to remember the name.

His smile dropped slightly, his eyes shooting to the floor, “She’s...Sarah’s my little girl.”

“Oh,” Holly trailed off, unsure of the tone in the man’s voice.

“El is the girl in my office photos, the one who’s graduating next year,” he clarified. “Sarah, well...she passed a few years ago.”

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her gaze saddened and laced with understanding. “What happened? You know, if you don’t mind my asking.”

“Of course,” he said, glancing back at her eyes with a softer look. “Leukemia.”

Holly cursed under her breath, closing her eyes as she shook her head, “ _Fucking cancer_.”

“Yeah,” he repeated, nodding his head with her. “ _Fucking cancer_.”

“I get it,” she said lowly, looking at him with understanding. “I wish I didn’t understand, but I do. Dad...pancreatic cancer...that’s what got him.”

Hopper nodded, remembering reading over the girl’s file, “Quick?”

“I wish,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “A year’s worth of hospice, I think. He just...withered in front of my eyes. Sarah?”

“Likewise,” he grimaced. “I think around a year. I try not to think too much about it these days. It’s been a while.”

“I wish I had that switch in my brain,” she shrugged. “Kind of hard not to think about him, you know? Anniversary is next week. One year on Saturday.”

His eyes widened, his posture opening up towards her, “I’m so sorry, Holls. I remember...a lot of memories- _painful_ memories.”

The girl smirked at the nickname that tumbled off of his lips, trying to fight away tears that threatened to escape from her eyes, “Yeah.”

“Sarah’s is on Sunday,” he sighed, biting his lower lip. “Fate is a funny thing, isn’t it? In a sort of morbid kind of way.”

She looked up at him with raised eyebrows at the phrase, one her father would say regularly before his passing, “Yes. _Exactly_.”

A small silence fell between the two of them before Hopper inhaled deeply through his nose, “Holly...you know you can call me anytime, yeah? It doesn’t have to just be for assignments.”

She smirked, her eyes grateful, “Thanks, Jim.”

“I just...I know how tough that first anniversary is,” he swallowed thickly, playing with the hair on his forearm. “I wish I could say things get easier, but...it was a dark time for me. A lot of drinking, lots of pills. But I think it would have been different if I had someone who understood what I was going through.”

Holly reached a calm hand out to him, resting on top of his hand before she squeezed over his fingers, “You’ll be the first call. I promise.”

The man interlaced their fingers together, sparks shooting up her arm in quick succession. The air between the two of them was intimate, becoming thicker as her ears began to ring. The distance between their faces grew smaller, his eyes darting down to plump mauve lips, his breath hitching as she licked her lower lip in anticipation.

If they weren’t in the middle of the hallway.

_If only they weren’t in the middle of the hallway._

“What do you mean you can’t cover anymore?” boomed a familiar voice from around the corner, causing Holly to yank her hand away and create a gap in between her and the older man.

Steve rounded the corner, his voice shouting into the receiving end of his phone, “I covered your shift yesterday, asshat. So, guess who’s not coming in today? Find someone to rectify your fucking accident.”

Holly cleared her throat, her cheeks bright pink as she trained her eyes on the floor. Hopper stood up awkwardly, walking towards the classroom door as he fumbled with a ring of keys from his back pocket.

“‘Sup Holly?” asked Steve, kicking her shoe playfully as she began to stand. “Haven’t seen you in a bit.”

“ _Ugh_ , I’m sorry,” she groaned, stealing one last glance at Hopper’s back as he walked into the lecture hall. “Just been a little busy I guess.”

“What you got after class?” he chirped, gripping the strap of his shoulder bag tightly. “Robin and I were gonna grab some coffee. You should come with.”

“Yeah,” she sighed, walking into the classroom as her friend followed suit. “That would be great, actually.”

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The rest of class filed in shortly after, everyone sitting in a “fish bowl” formation to talk about the previous class reading. Holly retrieved her laptop, looking over the PDF she had saved with a small smile.

“Can you believe this ass made us read his own work?” Steve hissed in your ear with a roll of his eyes. “I can’t believe you think he’s cute.”

“Oh, come on, Steve. Look at him,” she chuckled, her eyes unabashedly looking up and down the teacher’s body. “He’s _gorgeous_.”

“Your type must be old dudes with a bad past,” he remarked under his breath, his eyes darting between her and him. “He’s gotta be only a few years younger than my _dad_.”

“ _Shut up_ ,” she seethed, punching him in the shoulder. “I actually thought the reading was really good.”

“Too sappy for me,” he shrugged, pulling out a notebook from his bag. “I’m just not into all of that romance bullshit.”

“And _that_ , Harrington, is why you’ll never get a girlfriend,” Holly chided.

“Ouch, _harsh_ ,” he feigned hurt, placing a hand mockingly over his sternum.

The discussion began quickly, each student in the circle expressing their thoughts as Hopper called on them. Once the attention was directed towards Holly, Hopper’s eyes zeroed in on her like a hawk. A small smile graced his lips, his eyes filled with eagerness.

“Well,” she drawled, straightening her back in the desk. “I liked it a lot. I think the complex nature of a relationship like that are quite...familiar?”

“How so?” Hopper asked intrigued.

“I’ve also wanted someone that I wasn’t supposed to desire,” she said, causing Steve to groan quietly under his breath. 

Holly chuckled, trying to ignore his reaction as she looked back at Hopper’s dilated eyes, causing her to still, “I-It’s like this yearning, an _ache_ all over your body, almost. Your thoughts are consumed by him day and night. Someone you can never have...I think it adds to the appeal in a way. You want what you can’t have. You ache for them, even though you shouldn’t.”

“But you do?” he asked, his voice lowering an octave.

“I do,” she whispered, shaking her head and looking away from him. “I mean, _you_ do. You want them. You want what you can’t have, what you’re not supposed to have.”

“You can have him, though” he responded, almost like the two of them were the only people in the room. “We live in a culture that does nothing but judge, but...they aren’t the ones who can make that choice, are they? True love...lust, adoration, admiration...it’s all human. Social standing, risk of scandal...it shouldn’t matter.”

“But they do,” she whispered with a slight grimace, her heart lodging in her throat. “ _They do_.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Steve muttered under his breath, snapping Holly and Hopper out of their dazes.

“And your thoughts, Mr. Harrington?” he snapped, anger rising in his chest at the boy’s attitude. 

But a large part of Holly knew that the real reason he was ticked was because they were interrupted. That they weren’t privately having this discussion that seemingly loomed over the both of their heads.

“It was fine,” Steve shrugged. “Like, I get it was an awful time for certain people to be in cahoots with others, so, like, yeah.”

“Enthralling point of view, Steven,” Hopper deadpanned, his attention shifting to the now-vibrating phone in his front pant pocket.

He pulled it out, looking at the caller I.D. before excusing himself into the hallway. 

“What a jack-ass,” Steve muttered under his breath. “‘Enthralling point of view, Steven’... _fuckin’ prick-ass son of a bitch-_ ”

Holly began to giggle, her laughter stopping in her chest as she peeked out of the open space in the doorway. Hopper stood with a hand covering his face as he shook his head in disappointment. He hung up, rushing back into class before beginning to gather his things.

“You’ll all be pleased to find out that class is ending early this afternoon,” he spoke, zipping up his bag. “Just...I’ll post an assignment for next class tonight or tomorrow. Keep an eye out.”

Holly’s eyes widened, noticing the hint of panic that laced the otherwise calm man as he rushed out of the door. She wanted to chase him, call him, _something_...but that would be crossing that line.

“Oh, fuckin’ score,” Steve smiled. “Still game for coffee, DelMonica?”

The girl slowly nodded her head, her eyes slowly peeling themselves away from the door before looking at her friend, “Yeah, of course.”

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“You guys don’t understand,” gushed Robin, practically bouncing up and down as she continued to talk about the date she had the night before. “She is honestly perfect. And that kiss? Honestly didn’t know a person’s lips could be so soft.”

“Good for you, Robin,” smirked Steve, “‘Bout time you get laid.”

The girl smacked him on the arm, Holly shaking her head with a cackle in between them as they approached a tiny granite countertop in the cafe. Low notes of popular indie bands played in the corner on a stereo, hipsters and alt style filling the coffee shop. Holly had never been the biggest fan of this type of atmosphere, but her blood craved caffeine and she didn’t have the gall to instead ask for Starbucks.

“What can I get started for you guys?” the barista asked in a warm voice, his green eyes piercingly bright as they fell upon Holly’s face.

The girl’s breath caught in her throat, blood rushing from her cheeks as she had to perform a double-take. For a split second, she saw the same eyes and face of Brett Gilman, similarly rugged and boyish in appearance. His curly black hair peeked out of a maroon uniform visor, his jaw chiseled and sporting a light shade of stubble.

The boy smiled at her, slightly gapped teeth baring past chapped lips, prompting the girl to look away with a blush.

“Mocha frap for myself,” Robin smiled, bumping Holly’s hip with her own before she sputtered.

“Just an iced caramel coffee, thanks,” she responded, looking down as she crossed her arms uncomfortably.

“I’ll take a cup of tea,” Steve muttered, digging into his pocket for his wallet before looking over at his two friends. “Just venmo me later.”

“Not necessary,” the boy smiled, waving away the credit card Steve pushed at him. He looked over Holly’s form shyly before shrugging, “Consider it on the house.”

“Not necessary,” Holly bit back, discomfort pooling in her lower stomach at the intense gaze behind his eyes. “We aren’t a charity.”

“Okay, well, how about I trade you the three drinks for your phone number?” he asked with a shrug, seemingly undeterred by Holly’s disinterest. 

Steve’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline at the boy’s confidence as Robin began to laugh, patting Holly’s shoulder before she and Steve backed away slowly, leaving Holly to fend for the three of them.

“A little ballsy, aren’t you?” retorted Holly, reaching into her pocket for her own wallet. “I’ll pay for the drinks, thanks.”

“Awe, come on,” drawled the boy, biting his lip in a way that made Holly remember her former fling. He extended his arm to her, a calloused and large hand open, “Rich. Well, technically it’s Richard, but I don’t want to give you an excuse to call me a dick.”

“Too late,” she smiled tightly, shaking his hand. “Holly.”

“Suits you,” he smirked, his smile sending butterflies fluttering in her stomach. _So familiar_. “Pretty in nature, just like you.”

“Oh, wow,” Holly guffawed as her walls began to lower. “You’re certainly bold, I’ll give you that.”

“My dad owns the place,” he shrugged, turning around to begin brewing the beverages. “That’s why I can give away the drinks.”

“Oh,” she sighed, toying with the hem of her shirt. “At least...a tip?”

“I’ll never say no to a tip, darlin’,” he smiled. “You go to Indy State?”

“That obvious?” she joked, placing a few bills into the tip jar before putting her wallet away.

“Just a little,” he smiled, moving behind the counter quickly. “I think I saw you at the barbecue the other day. Pretty sure you tossed a hot dog at my chapter advisor.”

_Jesus Christ, did everyone know Hopper?_

“You’re a Phi Sig?” she asked awkwardly, her cheeks heating up as he began to place the drinks down in front of her.

“Yep,” he groaned. “Kind of runs in the family. Legacies and all that.”

“Gotcha,” she smiled tightly. “I was thinking about rushing.”

“It’s a good gig, looks good on resumes, but, if you couldn’t tell, it’s not exactly my thing,” he shrugged, leaning against the counter on one hand.

“Then why stay in it?” she asked confused, gathering the cups in her arms.

“Eh, you wouldn’t really get it,” he waved away her question, making Holly snort through her nose.

“Ah, yes, because I’m a dumbass,” she nodded, turning away from him. “Thanks for the drinks, Rich.”

“What about that number?” he shouted after her.

“Never agreed to that deal,” she called back with a grin before walking over to the table Steve and Robin set shop up at.

She plopped the drinks down with a huff, chuckling as she rolled her eyes and sat next to Steve, “Thank you for that, by the way. I really love getting pimped out by my friends.”

“No, thank _you_ ,” Steve sang, pressing a sloppy kiss to Holly’s forehead before ruffling her hair.

“So, you’re thinking about pledging?” Robin smirked, grabbing her coffee before patting Holly’s hand.

“Eavesdrop much?” Holly squinted her eyes.

“I was just making sure he wasn’t being a creep,” she replied defensively.

“Yeah,” Holly sighed, shrugging her shoulders. “I was considering Delta Zeta.”

“Carolina likes that one, too,” Robin smiled, licking whipped cream off of her straw. “I’m not the biggest fan of all of the Greek bullshit, but, if she likes it, then I want to support her.”

“It’s not _that_ bad,” Steve spoke up, sipping his tea. “I rushed, did the whole shebang. I even got a bid from Pi Kapp and everything. I probably would have stayed had it not been for the dues and the scheduling issues. Cool dudes, though. Not your stereotypical frat asses.”

“That’s what I thought,” Holly smiled. “There’s this girl that I met in my math lecture. Nancy, she’s really sweet. She’s kind of the reason I want to go through with it.”

“Nancy... _Wheeler_?” Robin asked, a cocky grin on her face as she eyed a now-silent and stiff Steve.

“Yeah,” she nodded, looking wearily in between the two friends. “What’s with the looks?”

“That would be my ex,” Steve shook his head. “You’re right, actually...very sweet girl. Beautiful, smart, talented...”

“ _Cheater_ ,” Robin sang, a small scowl appearing on her lips.

“It just didn’t work out,” he shrugged. “Left me for some Phi Sig.”

“Jonathan?” Holly muttered under her breath, trying to follow along.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “The Byers Bastard, as I like to call him.”

Holly cringed, sipping her drink as Robin began to tease the boy beside her about his ex despite his obvious discomfort. Holly jumped at the sudden vibrations emitting from her pocket, her phone buzzing as someone called for her attention.

“Speak of the devil,” she cackled, answering the phone with a smile. “Hey, Nancy!”

“Son of a bitch,” cursed Steve under his breath, placing his face in his hands as Robin began to laugh.

“Hey,” Nancy responded on the other line, excitement dripping from her voice. “You’re not busy are you? I can call back-”

“No, no,” she shook her head, a small smile appearing on her lips as she pushed Steve’s shoulder in an attempt to quiet him. “Not busy at all.”

“Oh, good,” she replied cheerfully. “Look, DZ is hosting a party next Saturday. I wanted to invite you and your friends. It would be a really good way to meet everyone.”

Holly gulped audibly, her eyes widening.

“Oh,” she replied with a shaky breath. “Saturday?”

_One year._

_Maybe you shouldn’t just sulk around in your room._

_Maybe a drink or two will help._

“Yeah,” Nancy exclaimed. “Starts at 9, but people don’t usually roll in until around 10.”

“Gotcha,” she sighed, shaking her head. “I’ll be there.”

“Beautiful!” the girl squealed. “I’ll text you the details, and I’ll see you then!”

Holly hung up the phone, looking at both Steve and Robin who eyed her with curiosity.

“How do y’all feel about a party?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it’s June 2nd. You know what that means! The 1K Celebration has officially began. Starting off, here is the latest update of TLC. No promises for the next few weeks, but I’m hoping to update at least one more time this month. Hope you guys enjoy it!


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